Former geavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has taken off his gloves to become a marijuana farmer. Just before Christmas, Tyson and his business partners broke ground on Tyson Ranch, a 40-acre piece of property in California City, California. The ranch will dedicate 20 acres to growing high-grade cannabis for medicinal and recreational use.

According to media outlet The Blast, Tyson has been a longtime advocate of the medicinal use of medical marijuana and his ranch will work to improve medical research and treatment of the plant. The ranch is operated by another Tyson business called Tyson Holistic and will offer jobs and opportunities to military veterans. Tyson Ranch will also feature the Tyson Cultivation School designed to teach marijuana growers the latest methods in cannabis production. The ranch will also feature a resort facility premium “glamping” campgrounds and cabins.

Tyson is the latest big name to join what is being called the “Green Rush,” which refers to the money-making opportunities arising from the medicinal and recreational sale of marijuana. On New Year’s Day, California authorized the sale of recreational marijuana. Analysts predict that California’s tax revenue on marijuana will reach a between $350-500 million in 2018. Early reports are showing that the legal sales of marijuana neared $10 billion in 2017 and according to Forbes magazine could reach $24.5 billion by 2021.

Maurice "Mo" Barnes is a graduate of Morehouse College and Political Scientist based in Atlanta. Mo is also a Blues musician. He has been writing for Rolling Out since 2014. Whether it means walking through a bloody police shooting to help a family find justice or showing the multifaceted talent of the Black Diaspora I write the news.